Monday, May 9, 2011

Anything You Want by Erin Nicholas

Suppose the solution to all your problems is the one thing you never wanted…

It figures the one time Sabrina Cassidy is determined to do the responsible thing, karma kicks in. After four years on the road chasing her musical dream, she’s stranded six hours from home with no money, a ruined credit history—and morning sickness.

Out of options, she swallows her legendary independent streak and calls the only person who won’t hang up on her. Luke, the man she left behind.

Marc Sterling’s first instinct is to protect his business partner and best friend from another broken heart. That means letting her think she’s talking to Luke, then finding a way to send her in the opposite direction.

When he shows up at her hotel room, there’s something in the air beside their customary insults. Sure, her rebellious attitude, smart mouth—and purple panties—still drive him crazy, but now it’s a different kind of crazy. The kind that has him driving her home instead of to the nearest airport.

And when Luke offers to solve all her problems if she’ll only say “I do”, Marc realizes he’s just crazy enough—about her—to forget whose heart he wanted to protect.

How long should you follow your dreams, before you wake up? That is the decision Sabrina must make.

Four years ago, she left her small town life, determined to make it big in the music world. And to be honest, she was also running away from commitment and fear of a dull life, when Luke proposed. Luke and Sabrina had different ideas of what they wanted out of life, and now, four years later, Sabrina is heading home, stranded, penniless and pregnant.

When Luke’s best friend and business partner Marc intercepts a call from Sabrina, he is determined to keep her from breaking his friend’s heart again. He plans on keeping her as far as possible from Justice and Luke. But a funny thing happens on the way from Muddy Gap, where Sabrina’s rental car gives up the ghost. Marc discovers that Sabrina isn’t the person he thought, and realizes that she could be dangerous-to his own heart!

Erin Nicholas has written an enchanting and hot love story all about coming home again. It is a tale of following your dreams, and not accepting less than you deserve, as well. I loved the small town life of Justice, and the descriptive way Ms. Nicholas is able to bring the reader into the story almost immediately. The characters are well crafted, and the situations are believable and in some cases, heartbreaking. I enjoyed watching the story unfold, and empathized with the decisions that the main character, Sabrina, struggled with.

Sabrina is determined, intelligent and talented. She realizes she has a hard road ahead, and that tough decisions must be made. Her internal struggle of whether to settle for security with Luke, or go for it all with her music as a single mother is an ongoing thread here. I was happy to see that Ms. Nicholas didn’t make this an easy road for Sabrina, because it made the final solution so much more enjoyable. I also enjoyed watching as she and Marc discovered each other as something other than adversaries.

Marc is such a strong character. At the beginning, he is determined to ‘save’ his friend/brother Luke from more heartache at the hands of Sabrina. I enjoyed watching him discover that she wasn’t the villain of the story, but rather just someone trying to find the right way for her. I loved the moment when he realized that he had feelings for her himself, and also discovered that, if Luke had really cared, nothing could have kept him and Sabrina apart. I think that’s when I fell a bit in love with Marc myself.

This story is romantic, and when Sabrina and Marc finally get together, the heat explodes off the pages. There is a surprising twist near the end, and it helps to bring several of the secondary characters into focus a bit. There is a back story about Sabrina’s friend Kat that I would love to see Ms. Nicholas explore in more depth, and I’d also like for more from the world of Justice and its small town atmosphere. And I guarantee I will never look at baking a pie in quite the same way again.

RATING EXPLANATION:

1 Star— At this time, we at LASR do not post these reviews. If the book was boring, badly edited, poorly written, had little or no plot, stilted dialogue, and/or unsympathetic characters, we will decline the review.

2 Stars— Not wonderful, but tolerable. There may be some minor editing glitches but not enough to stop you reading. Not a wall-banger, but nothing you'd re-read. This is a book you would borrow from the library - not buy - and never check out again.

3 Stars— Good. Mostly enjoyable. You made it through and didn't consider it a waste of time or money. The story was strong enough or the conflict tight enough, so even when the book faltered, it was able to draw you back in and keep you. There's a chance you'll recommend it to a friend, but it wouldn't go on your keeper shelf.

4 Stars— Very Good. You're glad you were the one who got to review the book. You would probably buy it and would definitely recommend it to your friends. You liked the characters and the plot. The writing style was good and the editing clean.

5 Stars— Great! You would definitely buy this book. You would definitely recommend it to your friends. You really loved the characters and the plot and would consider looking for this authors back list or making her an autobuy. The writing and editing were superb.

LASR Best Book - For a book or story that is truly exceptional. You think about it when you're not reading it. You wonder what happens to the characters when you finish. You would absolutely buy everything else this author had to offer. The highest praise - and reserved for only a few.

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